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Cook’s NFL Picks: Week 12!

Hello friends! Hopefully you’re having a wonderful weekend full of family, turkey, shopping and all the other great holiday traditions…especially football!

Yeah, you guys know that football is the real highlight of Thanksgiving weekend. The Thursday games start us off, then we get the college rivalry games on Friday and Saturday, and we finally wind things down with the Sunday slate. And a game on Monday. No doubt about it, football is the reason for the season.

Happy Football, everybody!

Sunday, November 27

San Diego (-1.5) at Houston

Ok, we’re off to a great start here. I have no idea why San Diego is favored here. We just have that little respect for the Texans, I suppose. Not that Houston has been great, or that they’re a Super Bowl contender or anything like that. I just don’t see how you put the 4-6 Chargers over them as a favorite. They thrive in losing close games, and will do it again this week. Take the home dog here, who happens to be undefeated at home.

I must be missing something. Did the Texans get detained at the border and we’re not sure they’ll make it back by Sunday?

Tennessee (-5) at Chicago

Who would have thought the Titans would be 5 point favorites on the road against anybody? Well, when Alshon Jeffery is suspended and Matt Barkley is filling in for an injured Jay Cutler, that’s what happens. Go ahead and roll with the Titans, I can’t see the Bears accomplishing anything useful this week.

Jacksonville at Buffalo (-7.5)

Jaguars and the points? Sure why not.

Cincinnati at Baltimore (-4)

No AJ Green. No Gio Bernard. No problem? Don’t get me wrong, the Bengals aren’t winning this game. But any time there’s a game featuring two of the Bengals/Ravens/Steelers teams and the spread is at 4, I gotta take the underdog cause it’ll be a 3 point game.

Which is really bad news for the Bengals given how Mike Nugent has been performing lately.

Arizona at Atlanta (-5)

One of these weeks I’m going to give up on the Cardinals and buy into the Falcons. It’s not going to be this week. David Johnson should get a lot done against the Falcons rush defense, Matt Ryan & company should get a lot done against the underperforming Cardinals defense. It’ll be a shootout down to the wire. I expect the Cards to be extra motivated after Bruce Arians’ hospital visit this week. He’s somebody I’d want to run through a wall for, and I’ve never met the guy.

San Francisco at Miami (-7.5)

Jay Ajayi against the league’s worst rushing defense? Yeah, I like the Dolphins‘ chances in this one.

Los Angeles at New Orleans (-7)

The Rams defense can be tricky. But Jared Goff can not keep up with Drew Brees, even if Goff is going against a college team and Brees is going against the 1985 Bears. Take the Saints.

NY Giants (-7) at Cleveland

The Giants would be getting a ton of hype right now if they weren’t 2nd place behind Dallas. Things are clicking for them on offense and defense. History tells me they’re due for a setback, but I can’t tell you to put money on the Browns. Unless they’re playing the Bengals.

Seattle (-6) at Tampa Bay

Famous Jameis is really coming into his own lately. It’s nice to see. You won’t see it this week. The Seahawks are The Seahawks again and the world is doomed.

Carolina at Oakland (-3)

The Raiders are absolutely on fire…which means they’re about to lay an egg. I dunno man, call me crazy if you must, but there’s something telling me that the Panthers have a real shot here. Cam Newton can get some things done against that Raider defense. The Panther defense should be inspired if nothing else. I might totally end up regretting this, but I feel like these Raiders are due for a bad week and they’re not really good in Oakland anyway.

New England (-7.5) at NY Jets

It’s amazing to think that back in Week 1 I thought the Bengals & Jets were potential playoff teams. What the heck was I thinking? As bad as the Bengals have turned out to be, the Jets just might be worse. At least they’re on the same level like I thought they would be. Do I get points for that?

Tom Brady will get some points. The Patriots should take care of business here.

Kansas City at Denver (-3.5)

Chiefs fans have been begging people to take their team seriously all season, but that talk has significantly quieted down since KC lost at home to the Tampa Bay Bucs last week. The Chiefs are good for one inexplicable loss every year and that was probably it. The easy thing to do is assume that KC was exposed last week and they’ll go into Denver and get their doors blown off.

But when you look at Denver you don’t see an offensively gifted squad. Not with Trevor Siemian at QB. Devontae Booker isn’t quite producing at the levels fantasy owners would like yet and I don’t see it happening this week. In what I expect to be a close game, I see the Chiefs at the very least hanging in there and beating the spread.

Green Bay at Philadelphia (-4)

The Eagles are a pretty solid team at home and can beat nearly anybody there. The Packers are a bit of a mess right now. One expects they’ll figure it out eventually because they always do, but I don’t think it will be this week.